Stem plant roots

This is a discussion on Stem plant roots within the Beginner Planted Aquarium forums, part of the Beginner Freshwater Aquarium category; -->
The roots from the nodes and internodes of my stem plants are getting out of hand and spoiling the appearance of the tank. Some ...

The roots from the nodes and internodes of my stem plants are getting out of hand and spoiling the appearance of the tank. Some of these are interfering with new leaves or branches. Can these be removed and make the plant grow more and stronger roots in the substrate?

Ive been looking at plant stuff lately and i havent run across any mention of this particular issue. while I doubt that it will spur any growth, there should be no reason why you can't trim them back. The leaves take up the nutrients directly so it's not like you are damaging the nutrient path. Just don't cut them back hard and don't cut them all even, it would just look unnatural.

It might be better to cut the top and replant it while removing the older growth nodes to just clean up the whole look. You can trim the tops longer than you might normally so you don't end up with a short plant... Alternate doing this throughout the stem forest so you don't end up with all the same length throughout if you want.

I cut the roots and the plants look much better. The hygrophila corymbosa can grow fast and now I am planning on re-arranging the hygro's to two stems in each corner and place them 4 to 6 inches apart. This will give them more room for spreading out and getting more light. I think four of them placed 2 inches apart is not healthy for the plants; which is what I have now.

Stem plants grow by producing roots and leaves from each node on the stem, and the stem simply keeps growing longer. Different species may do this differently, depending upon the species and/or the environment (how it is grown), but the basic method of growth is as I stated.